Retro Denzel Washington (Carbon Copy)

Sergio at Shadow & Act discovered the trailer for this 1980s film starring Denzel Washington. Carbon Copy is a comedy about a successful businessman who finds out he has a black, er, biracial son (Washington). The trailer looks offbeat in an 80s way and I'm guessing it was considered a little "edgy" during its release. Whatever the case, I'm curious to see Washington in this obscure flick.

Seen it already? Share your thoughts.

Available on Netflix.

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Foxes! Dare to do What Others Dream Of

I went to a really fun event last week at the The Cinefamily the venue (also known as the Silent Movie Theater). I hope that most of you in L.A. know about this great place.

The night sleepover party themed. The main event was a double feature of a film released in 1980 called Foxes, which starred Jodie Foster, features a teenage skateboarding Scott Baio, and a creepy cradle robbing Randy Quaid.

There was complimentary wine provided by Bear Flag Winery and delicious gelato from Paciugo.

This trailer does not do justice at all to the insane campy brilliance of this film's dialog.

 

If your parents bought you cigarettes as a teenager. If you ever got mixed up with a tranny named Burt. If you have ever gone toe-to-toe with a pimp on the boulevard. If you love Donna Summers or if you love the movie "Nowhere" by Gregg Araki even half as much as I do. This movie is a must.

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Skateland

Writer/director Anthony Burns' debut film stars Shiloh Fernandez (Deadgirl) as Ritchie Wheeler, a teen struggling with what to do with his future, growing up in a small Texas town in the 1980s. It is currently making the festival rounds. I dig the trailer, New Order makes everything better.

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Notable New Releases

Edge of Darkness
Mel Gibson's return to acting is decent but not anything special. It's not as complex as the UK mini-series it's based on and there isn't a lot of action, so it ends up being just a lighter version of Taken.

Extras include:

• Deleted Scenes
• Craven's War of Attrition
• Mel's Back
• Director Martin Campbell
• Making a Ghost Character Real
• Boston as a Character
• Adapting the Edge of Darkness Mini-series
• Revisiting the Edge of Darkness Mini-series
• Edge of Your Seat
• Scoring the Film

Daybreakers
Have heard good things about the Spierig Brothers' (Undead) vampire flick, so i'll have to check it out.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• The Making of Daybreakers - 2 hour documentary
• The Big Picture - Spierig Bros. Short Film
• Bonusview Storyboards/Animatics
• Poster Art Gallery

[READ MORE...]

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Notable New Releases

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Can't wait to check out Herzog's insane semi-remake, which got great reviews.

Extras include:

• Making of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
• Digital Photo Book

The Collector
Indie horror film that garnered strong buzz. I'm curious to see it.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Music Video

Party Down: Season One
This is a great show from Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas. It's got a great cast of improvisers who play wannabe stars working for a catering company. It's like a funnier, more realistic version of Entourage.

Extras include:

• Commentaries
• Featurettes
• Gag Reel

[READ MORE...]

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Spotlight - Wendy & Lisa

Childhood friends Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman are musicians who were part of Prince's The Revolution during the mid-'80s, released five albums of their own, and score music for film and television. While Wendy primarly plays guitar and Lisa plays piano and keyboards, they are also credited with playing other instruments including bass, drums, harmonica, harmonium, oud, tamboora, and congas. Lisa began playing with Prince in 1980 and Wendy joined the band in 1983, as they began filming Purple Rain. After the massive success of Purple Rain, Wendy and Lisa continued to work with Prince until 1986.

They have also worked with kd lang, Grace Jones, Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, Neil Finn, Joni Mitchell, and many others. They released their debut album, Wendy & Lisa (Columbia), in 1987 which featured the ethereal R&B dance music that they helped to create for Prince. By their third album, Eroica (Virgin, 1990), they shifted towards more of a rock sound. They self-released their fifth album, White Flags of Winter Chimneys, in December 2008 after a ten year hiatus. Wendy and Lisa have scored many projects including Heroes, Dangerous Minds, Something New, Mercy, and most recently Nurse Jackie. They will appear at this year's Wondercon to discuss their work at the 'Setting the Score: Composing for Film & Television for Sci-Fi/Fantasy' panel on friday. For more info and to pre-order the Nurse Jackie soundtrack go to wendyandlisa.com

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